The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to an ergonomic design for a control panel used for adjusting position of a person with respect to a machine and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a control panel for adjusting position of a patient with respect to a gantry of a medical imaging system.
Medical imaging systems such as CT scanners, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging systems and Nuclear Medicine (NM), e.g. Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging systems typically require positioning of a patient within a gantry. Typically, a patient's position is controlled with a motorized table on which the patient is supported. Typically, the table can be controlled to move in and out of the gantry and up and down, i.e. in a vertical direction. Some systems also allow for lateral adjustment i.e. left and right and tilting motion.
Prior to imaging, an operator typically helps a patient assume a required posture and aligns the patient with respect to the gantry using the movable table. The operator also typically uses light markers installed on the gantry for directing a beam on the patient from the gantry to obtain the proper patient alignment within field of view. Typically, the gantry includes a control panel that the operator can use to move the table and operate the markers. During the positioning procedure the operator is sometimes required to approach, engage and/or observe the patient from opposite sides of the gantry, e.g. left-right and back-front. Some imaging systems include more than one gantry control panel positioned on different sides of the gantry so that the operator can easily reach the control panels while engaging and/or observing the patient from the different positions.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 3A and 3B showing the LightSpeed VCT CT scanner offered by GE Healthcare as an exemplary system including a plurality of control panels for positioning a patient. The LightSpeed VCT CT scanner includes a gantry 10 with a plurality of control panels 12 on both the front face 11 and rear face 13 of the gantry. An operator uses control panel 12 for positioning table 7 within gantry 10. Typically, each of control panels 12 provide the same functionality and are identical or mirror images of each other, e.g. control panel 12 positioned on either side of gantry bore 8, e.g. on the left and right side of the gantry might be designed as mirror images of each other for aesthetic and/or usability purposes.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 4A and 4B showing the gantry control panel of the LightSpeed VCT offered by GE HealthCare. Typically, gantry control panel 12 includes a plurality of control buttons 121 for controlling movement of table 7, as well as a plurality of additional buttons 123 for operating the markers used for alignment and for operating the gantry. Typically, each of the buttons for moving the table has accompanying graphics to indicate a direction of movement of the table (FIG. 4B). For example buttons 5, 6 indicate moving the table toward and away from the gantry respectively while buttons 3, 4 indicate moving the table up or down respectively. In addition, the buttons are arrow shaped to indicate direction that the table will be moved. Additional buttons can indicate additional direction of movement, e.g. tilting of gantry 10 (buttons 15 and 16), or moving table 7 to a preset position (button 18). Typically, a same gantry control panel 12 (or mirror image) is positioned in a plurality of different positions on the gantry, e.g. left, right, front and rear. Control panel 12 will also typically include a display panel 19 displaying a timer for indicating an inter-scan delay period.